Fang Qiaoran from south China's Shenzhen City is on the move again!
Obviously, the ardent bird lover could not let this year's autumn migration season pass without venturing out and pressing the shutter.
This time, together with three teammates, she planned a five-day trip, September 14-18, in Shanghai and east China's Jiangsu Province, where the beaches offer an important stopover on birds' southward journey. But the journey was postponed and reduced by one day by Typhoon Chanthu, leaving them four days on their main business.
A bay in Jiangsu Province, east China. /Fang Qiaoran
Despite the limited time and the aftermath of the powerful cyclone, she was still able to add six new names to her personal record of 957 bird species. That, according to her, is not a big number in the world of skilled bird watchers.
Oriental cuckoo. /Fang Qiaoran
Kamchatka leaf warbler. /Fang Qiaoran
Sakhalin leaf warbler. /Fang Qiaoran
Nordmann's greenshank. /Fang Qiaoran
Northern hawk-cuckoo. /Fang Qiaoran
Two-barred warbler. /Fang Qiaoran
In case you are wondering how she has managed to do that, here is her travel history in the past two years: 81 travels and 36 cities.
Fang Qiaoran's travel history from 2019 to present. /Phone screenshot
"Leaf warblers are a big headache for bird watchers. For example, Kamchatka leaf warblers look almost identical to Arctic warblers. The only way you can tell their difference is through their calls," Fang wrote in her regularly-updated essays to record the trips.
Birds at Tiaozini Wetland of Jiangsu Province, east China. /Fang Qiaoran
Now imagine yourself looking at the beach in the above photo, would you be able to recognize one endangered bird species from these white and black dots? Well, she can!
A spoon-billed sandpiper, an endangered bird species, is in the red circle. /Fang Qiaoran
"I guess I'm not bad. I don't see myself as very diligent," she told CGTN. "The majority of skilled birdwatchers in the country have a personal record of over 500 bird species. If you are over 900, that means you've been to most places in the country. But it takes more than that to reach 1,000, considering the fact that only no more than 800 bird species are pretty easy to spot in the country. People with a record over 1,000 often travel around just to see a single bird species."
The retiree took up birdwatching as a hobby to kill time after retirement in 2018, which is not uncommon among birdwatchers. When asked whether she feels tired of the frequent trips, she said she has only found herself wanting to go out more and more. Staying at home has become a dread to her.
"Every day is different! The birds can come and go at any moment during the migration season. You can never predict what birds you'll see that you like today. The only thing you can do is to pray that the birds stay longer. Or, you could stay put and wait, no matter how long that's going to take. Otherwise, you could only hope that you are lucky enough. But that's the beauty of it!"
More photos from this trip:
A Eurasian oystercatcher. /Fang Qiaoran
A Far Eastern curlew (L) and a Eurasian curlew. /Fang Qiaoran
A Japanese paradise flycatcher in Shanghai. /Fang Qiaoran
A Japanese paradise flycatcher in Shanghai. /Fang Qiaoran
A grey nightjar. /Fang Qiaoran
A pair of common greenshanks "tangoing." /Fang Qiaoran
A pair of common greenshanks "tangoing." /Fang Qiaoran
More from the contributor:
Monkey-faced owl couple finds home in SW China botanical garden
Spearhead migratory birds reach S China's Shenzhen
Master fisher enjoys prey in southern China's Shenzhen City
Bird lover's journal: 45 bird species in two days is just not enough
Critically endangered birds forage at sunset on S China beach
Bird lover captures bird endemic to southern China's Hainan island
Bird lover captures strange green magpie in Shenzhen City
(All photos by Fang Qiaoran)
(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at nature@cgtn.com.)